The need arises for stator coil lead wires to be anchored to a stator and cut automatically to close tolerances with regard to length, for example, within 1 mm from a fixed reference point on the stator core. Three axis industrial robots are now commonly used to anchor or connect stator coil leads to stators, partly because of the ability to change over robots to handle various different anchoring and cutting tasks in minimal time. Prior art lead wire trimming methods using robots to sever stator coil lead wires are not generally capable of cutting leads to close tolerances. Also, the wires used to form stator coils may exhibit different degrees of stretching, which can have an effect on the length of the cut coil lead using typical robot lead wire connecting and cutting techniques. Therefore, there exists a need for an improved method and apparatus using an industrial robot for performing such trimming operations within close tolerances.
There are also occasions in which the stator coil leads must be coursed through a complex, circuitous path along the end face of the stator core, and the need exist for an improved method and apparatus for coursing the stator coil leads across the face of a stator core.